The Year of Which Women Again?

The Year of Which Women Again?

So it’s “the year of the women" in the media again. But again, it’s only some.

Facebook
Twitter
Email
Flipboard
Pocket

So it’s “the year of the women" in the media again. But again, it’s only some.

All about money media are all about the women of the GOP. It’s news, right, when Republican women are running for office and winning primaries, it seems, because, well it’s supposed to irk feminists and progressives, and it’s new.

Except novelty can’t be the only argument, because there’s another year of the women underway and that’s getting almost no play. Seen any banner headlines about the Year of Women in Labor? I thought not.

Not only did women become the majority of the workforce in the US in the past year, they also became the majority of the unionized workforce. The head of SEIU stepped down, and the election to replace him was between two women—and the one who won, Mary Kay Henry, was a leader of the LGBT "Lavender Caucus."

The new AFL-CIO leader has as his second-in-command recent GRITtv guest Liz Shuler, not only the first woman secretary-treasurer of the largest labor federation in the country, but its youngest in history as well. And with the formation of the National Nurses Union, tough healthcare advocates like Rose Ann DeMoro have moved to expand their presence on the national stage—after leading the fight for healthcare reform and keeping up the pressure for single-payer.

With unions pouring support into primary challenges for centrist Democrats, you’d think the media would’ve noticed this storyline as well. If Nikki Haley is a new face for the Republican Party, certainly Mary Kay Henry is a new face for organized labor. So if novelty’s not the reason for the love for the new generation of Bushwomen, what is?

The F Word is a regular commentary by Laura Flanders, the host of GRITtv which broadcasts weekdays on satellite TV (Dish Network Ch. 9415 Free Speech TV) on cable, and online at GRITtv.org and TheNation.com. Support us by signing up for our podcast, and follow GRITtv or GRITlaura on Twitter.com.

We cannot back down

We now confront a second Trump presidency.

There’s not a moment to lose. We must harness our fears, our grief, and yes, our anger, to resist the dangerous policies Donald Trump will unleash on our country. We rededicate ourselves to our role as journalists and writers of principle and conscience.

Today, we also steel ourselves for the fight ahead. It will demand a fearless spirit, an informed mind, wise analysis, and humane resistance. We face the enactment of Project 2025, a far-right supreme court, political authoritarianism, increasing inequality and record homelessness, a looming climate crisis, and conflicts abroad. The Nation will expose and propose, nurture investigative reporting, and stand together as a community to keep hope and possibility alive. The Nation’s work will continue—as it has in good and not-so-good times—to develop alternative ideas and visions, to deepen our mission of truth-telling and deep reporting, and to further solidarity in a nation divided.

Armed with a remarkable 160 years of bold, independent journalism, our mandate today remains the same as when abolitionists first founded The Nation—to uphold the principles of democracy and freedom, serve as a beacon through the darkest days of resistance, and to envision and struggle for a brighter future.

The day is dark, the forces arrayed are tenacious, but as the late Nation editorial board member Toni Morrison wrote “No! This is precisely the time when artists go to work. There is no time for despair, no place for self-pity, no need for silence, no room for fear. We speak, we write, we do language. That is how civilizations heal.”

I urge you to stand with The Nation and donate today.

Onwards,

Katrina vanden Heuvel
Editorial Director and Publisher, The Nation

Ad Policy
x